


i had you on the open road

by thorvaenn



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bullying, Class Differences, Driver!Thor, M/M, Posh boy!Loki, Private School, Underage Drinking, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-09-22 18:08:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9619064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorvaenn/pseuds/thorvaenn
Summary: Thor's lucky new job is to drive a rich boy to his rich people school every morning.He grows kinda fond.“You should sit back and put your seat belt on,” he said and Loki let out an exaggerated sigh before doing just that.“I can see why he hired you,” Loki grumbled. “Dull as a brick wall.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> I think this must be around two years old - I sent this fic in printed form only to my dear friends and mutuals as a part of my Christmas card!

 

“You're not Thrym.”

 

That was the first thing Thor's new charge said to him. He smiled politely into the rear-view mirror and nodded.

 

“Hi, yeah, I'm Thor, I'm replacing him.”

 

He watched the boy purse his lips and then shrug as he tugged on the tie of his school uniform. Thor arrived early for his first pick up, not wanting to risk getting lost and being late and he had enough time to look over the old stone building that hosted his employer's son's private school. The obvious privilege and pretentiousness of the place came as no surprise, not when there was a check in the front pocket of Thor's suit with a sum that still seemed a little surreal to him as a week's pay, but still.

 

“My father didn't make you wear the dumb hat?” Loki – Thor knew his name already of course – asked as Thor shifted gears and pulled off. His tone was a little nasal and bored and Thor glanced at him again. He had a nice face; pale, high cheek bones, topped with jet black hair that curled artfully around his face. Thor couldn't see properly, but he seemed to be slouching in the back seat, the very picture of careless youth.

 

“We didn't get on the subject of hats,” Thor said, just barely resisting to add “sir” to the end of his sentence.

 

An inelegant snort came from the back as Thor watched the road. “Makes me wonder what subjects you _did_ get into.”

 

Thor saw no reason to reply to that. Loki, apparently, thought otherwise because after a minute of silence, just as they turned from the main road and started on the several mile long drive through the country, Loki was suddenly sticking his head between the seats. Thor almost startled when he saw Loki's face on level with his own, looking at him curiously. He glanced at him from the corner of his eye, determined to not be distracted and drive safe.

 

“You're hot.”

 

There was amused wonder in Loki's voice and Thor's fingers curled on the steering wheel.

 

Just _why_ had his predecessor quit?

 

“You should sit back and put your seat belt on,” he said and Loki let out an exaggerated sigh before doing just that.

 

“I can see why he hired _you_ ,” Loki grumbled. “Dull as a brick wall.”

 

Thor slowly let out a breath he'd been holding, swallowing rapidly several times.

 

 _Fuck_.

 

* * *

 

The next day he was picking Loki up at home in the morning, as he routinely should. Loki said absolutely nothing to him the entire ride and Thor actually caught him snoozing, head lolling on the headrest as they moved through the fog towards the school. He winced in sympathy. He remembered what it was like being a teenager. There always seemed to be stuff to do at night and in the morning it was paid for dearly. He made an extra effort to drive smoothly as to not disturb him. When they pulled up in the parking lot – after Thor navigated his way between all the other, expensive cars – he turned around and coughed awkwardly.

 

“We're here,” he said, feeling a little lame, and Loki's eyes snapped open.

 

“I know we are,” he hissed like Thor had insulted him.

 

“See... you,” Thor trailed off as Loki shot out of the car. “At two,” he added to the empty car, checking his watch. He had hours to kill.

 

* * *

 

That was the problem of the job. There was only so much extra driving he could do in the car, as it belonged to Mr Laufey and he had hours to wait between picking Loki up. Not to mention he was supposed to always be ready for emergencies in between those pick up hours.

 

He didn't quite expect the first emergency to come on the very second day. He had just finished drinking his coffee, dusting sugar from a treat he bought to go along with it off his fingers, standing beside the car at a parking lot surrounded by a couple of independent shops and restaurants near the school, when his phone pinged.

 

He had Loki's number saved, given to him by his father.

 

_school. now._

 

Thor grimaced but he was behind the wheel in a matter of seconds. And then – he only noticed because the clock was glaring brightly from the modern, computerized dashboard – he was at the school within three and a half minutes.

 

It was still too long, if the way Loki slammed the door was any indication.

 

“Fucking drive,” Loki barked at him and Thor did. Only after they were some distance from the school, the traffic almost non-existent before noon, did he look into the rear-view mirror and saw Loki dabbing at his nose with a handkerchief. All things considered, he probably spent way too much time staring. Loki was paler than Thor remember from before, the shadows underneath his eyes, which Thor noticed but somewhat overlooked that morning, even more pronounced. His eyes themselves were a bit red rimmed and that was _definitely_ blood he was soaking up from his nostril.

 

Thor kept driving until they left the main road. Then, once they were on the small road leading towards _casa Laufey,_ he kept an eye out for a side road or a rest stop. It was not hard to find and he turned right, driving for a bit on the bumpy dirt road until they were deep in the forest.

 

“Oh great. Just the thing to make my day better,” Loki said as Thor stopped and killed the engine. He just rolled his eyes and grabbed the bottle of water that was stashed underneath the passenger seat, getting out of the car and popping the trunk to get to the first aid kit. When he had all he wanted, he found the door to the back seat opened, Loki sitting sideways with his legs sticking out outside, spitting pink tinged saliva onto the dirt beneath him. Thor crouched in front of him, taking him in. Skinny, tall frame in a dark school uniform trousers and jacket, white ruffled shirt, red and green tie, loosened. He shook his head and pulled out a cotton wrap, wetting it with the cold water.

 

“Let me.”

 

Loki did, tilting his head back so Thor could properly wipe the blood away and apply some pressure with the cold bandage.

 

“Something tells me you didn't get this playing dodge ball,” Thor said when the blood was all wiped away.

 

“Don't try to be smart,” Loki scowled at him.

 

“Wouldn't dream of it,” Thor huffed. “I'm just a dumb driver, right? No way you'd actually like some time to breathe and stop bleeding before going back home after getting beat up at your fancy private school and not telling anyone about it.”

 

Silence. Then:

 

“How do you know I haven't told anyone?”

 

“Because they wouldn't let you go just like that? They would keep you in the infirmary with a bag of ice and called your parents in.”

 

Loki narrowed his eyes at him for a second and then dropped his head, kicking out. He hit Thor in the knee with his toe and Thor grunted, getting up.

 

“A parent,” Loki said then. “It's just my father.”

 

“Okay,” Thor replied, pausing. “You still have almost three hours of school left. Let's go get some coffee and ice-cream and then you can come home like nothing happened, if that's what you want.”

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Loki quietly slid into the passenger seat next to Thor instead of his designated seat in the back. Thor paused, quickly glancing out of the windows. There was no one around the house; nobody seeing Loki out of the door, nobody working on the yard. So he turned to Loki, taking his chin gently between two fingers and turning his face towards Thor.

 

As expected, there was a bruise underneath Loki's left eye, spilling towards the bridge of his nose. It was also badly covered by a thick layer of concealer.

 

“Hold still,” Thor ordered and then proceeded to pat at it until it blended more smoothly into Loki's pale complexion.

 

“Thanks,” Loki said and pulled away. “Drive. I don't want to be late.”

 

* * *

 

 

Loki never sat in the back from that day on. He remained quiet and morose for two or three days, resisting all of Thor's questions about what happened. But he also didn't seem to get into any more trouble, so Thor let it go.

 

As it was, the job was a lifesaver. With his first check, he bought a second-hand Kindle and loaded it up with books, which made all the waiting way more acceptable. He also bought a thermos flask and started making his own coffee and – when he could – pre-made his snacks too, cutting down on the expenses.

 

He was relaxing into his duties – the drive with his own car to the Laufey house, getting into the much more expensive and much more comfortable car that Mr Laufey provided, pulling up to the front to pick Loki up, driving him to school, waiting around for several hours until he was ready to leave – and keeping an eye out for any texts that would signal an emergency – and then getting him back home again, switching cars and driving home.

 

Easy.

 

Then requests for some extra rides popped up in his phone, straight from Mr Laufey, which he supposed was reassuring.

 

He wasn't feeling quite as reassured when Loki slipped into the back seat on a Saturday evening. Thor whipped around to look at him, staring.

 

“What the hell are you wearing?” he blurted, the outfit shocking him even in the dimness of only the ceiling light of the car. He couldn't see the material of Loki's trousers but they may have as well been painted on and his top showed more than it covered. Way more.

 

“Shut the fuck up and drive,” Loki snarled, crossing his arms. “I can get you fired in _seconds_.”

 

Thor did pull off then, starting on the rather long drive towards the destination already set on his GPS, somewhere in the city centre, but he laughed.

 

“Right. Get me fired now, and your dad gets a good look at what you are wearing... you'd be going nowhere, sweetheart.”

 

He saw Loki scowl in the rear-view mirror. “You could still drive me where I want and be fired tomorrow.”

 

“You like me too much for that,” Thor joked flippantly. He didn't expect Loki to once again stick his face right next to Thor's and he jumped a little, instantly forcing himself to double check everything as he drove – mirrors, speed, his hold on the steering wheel...

 

“Yeah, I do kinda like you,” Loki breathed against his cheek before launching himself backwards, sprawling on his seat. “Don't fuck it up.”

 

* * *

 

The wait was excruciating. Thor's eyes were all sandy with tiredness – he wasn't used to such late hours – so he couldn't even comfortably read, and the underground parking lot, best place where he could park in a proximity to the club that Loki disappeared to, was a nasty dump, smelling of piss and gasoline.

 

At about two, just as he was about to doze off, arms folded on the steering wheel and his forehead resting on them, his phone started to buzz. He fumbled for it and accepted the call. Then he had to immediately jerk it away from his ear and horrible, pulsing and screeching sound spilled from the speaker.

 

“Loki?” he tried loudly.

 

Loki's slurred words weren't really audible among all that noise, but Thor thought he got the message.

 

Pick up. Now.

 

The street was bustling with activity despite the late hour and Thor pulled up at the entrance of the club, trying to spot Loki between the groups of people standing – or swaying – on the pavement, smoking and doing things that Thor didn't want to look at too closely.

 

Just as he grew nervous, contemplating getting out of the car and going to look for him, Loki finally appeared. Thor's relief was short-lived though, because right at Loki's heels was a man, his hand slipping to Loki's shoulder, trying to pull him back.

 

Thor shot out of his seat and was by them in seconds.

 

Loki was clearly drunk, his eyelids drooping, flush on his cheeks. There was also tightness around his mouth and he lurched towards Thor a bit unsteadily. Thor caught him by the arm, trying to be gentle and turned to frown at the man who was following Loki. He was of a decent build, but he had nothing on Thor, a fact that he apparently realized as well. Thor didn't even have to say anything to him and he simply shrugged, spitting on the ground next to Loki.

 

“Slut.”

 

Thor clenched his teeth as he led Loki towards the car, putting him in the back seat. Getting Loki out of there was his priority and he kept repeating that in his head so that he would stop himself from going after the guy and breaking some bones.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked when they left most of the night traffic behind and Thor could afford to look in the rear view mirror to see how Loki was doing, instead of watching out for drunks and party-goers jumping in front of the car.

 

“Peachy,” Loki hiccuped.

 

Thor just sighed. Soon after, he stopped on the same side road where he'd tended to Loki's broken nose and yet again pulled out his emergency water bottle. He would really like if this didn't become a routine, but he wasn't holding his breath.

 

“Come on,” he said, opening the door on Loki's side and pulling him out. “You need some air.”

 

Loki grunted but complied, sitting on the trunk and accepting the bottle of water Thor handed to him, gulping some of it down.

 

“Just how much did you have to drink?”

 

“Not enough for your goddamned lecture.”

 

Thor raised his eyebrows. “You have some serious chip on your shoulder, you know that? I'm not lecturing you.”

 

Loki looked at him then, instead of staring into the darkness of the forest around them. “I like this cosy spot you found for us. It's so... secluded.”

 

Thor absolutely refused to take the bait. “Yeah. A perfect sanctuary for you getting your shit together.”

 

“I don't want my shit together,” Loki shrugged, tossing the bottle away. “Come here.”

 

Thor folded his arms across his chest. “For what?”

 

“I want you to kiss me.”

 

Thor fought hard to keep his face expressionless. “No.”

 

Loki shifted his knees apart as he sat on the trunk, gesturing at Thor sharply. “Come here and kiss me or I will tell my father that I ate some bad oyster at the _gallery opening_ I've been to and you crapped out on me, shutting your phone off and driving to fuck your girlfriend instead of picking me up.”

 

Thor wanted to laugh at how detailed Loki's threat was, but he knew that would do nothing to help. Instead, he strode towards Loki, fitting himself between his legs and rising his hand to tangle it in Loki's hair, yanking his head back.

 

“Don't try that, kid,” he growled at him, face as close to Loki's as though he was actually going to do what Loki asked. “Don't play with me. You'll regret it.”

 

He could smell the stale liquor on Loki's breath. It didn't fit with the way Loki's eyes widened, mouth falling opening in silent gasp of protest.

 

“Okay,” he said finally, even though his gaze slipped down to Thor's lips. “Sorry.”

 

“Great,” Thor said, letting him go, reeling a little with how rough he'd been. _That_ could – and maybe should, the little guilty voice in the back of his mind told him – get him fired. “Get in, I'm taking you home.”

 

* * *

 

On Monday morning, Loki looked different. Well rested, perhaps – a wonder after the Saturday night he's had – his uniform tidy. He slipped into the front seat with a polite “good morning” and Thor glanced at him, trying to discern if he was being sarcastic.

 

Loki must have noticed and he rolled his eyes. “I'm sorry, okay? I was drunk. I won't try and get you fired.”

 

Thor snorted and pulled off, setting out on the familiar route. “Well, I'm sorry that I tugged on your hair.”

 

“Right,” Loki chuckled and Thor enjoyed the way his voice sounded genuinely amused for once. Then Loki fluffed up his hair dramatically. “Don't do that again. Very immature.”

 

“Kinda like this is?” Thor let go of the steering wheel with his right hand and ran it through Loki's hair, completely messing up the styling. Loki squealed and batted Thor's hand away, choking on laughter.

 

“Oh fuck,” Loki giggled and Thor looked away from the road just for a second. They were smiling at each other, until Loki's smile faded into a look wonder. Thor cleared his throat and looked away.

 

He needed to be careful.

 

He was a driver, nothing more.

 

He should not, under any circumstances, think about what he'd do if Loki asked to be kissed again.

 

No way.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I know the ending is open and yes, I'd like to continue this fic, but please go light on the "write more" type of comments.


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